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Despite the overwhelming evidence that collaborative cultures in schools improve student learning, and the presence of tools that allow these cultures to be developed in new and expansive ways, there continues to be reluctance to embrace the potential of online environments and social media.

there continues to be reluctance to embrace the potential of online environments and social media

Not only does it mean that the role of teachers must change, it also means that for schools to be considered professional learning communities, they must orient themselves within the wider world beyond the classroom walls.

Students came to understand that grammar, punctuation, word choice, style, and syntax were not just a "teacher thing" but rather the means for effective communication. Students were motivated to write well on their blogs so that their posts could attract comments; learning about grammar and language usage had a "purpose and a point" (Peterson, 1998, p. 75).

n this post, Anni argued persuasively for water fountains on school playgrounds.1  She gave detailed reasons supporting her case, and her post sparked many responses. Donna, a teacher in Australia, explained that water fountains are called "bubblers" in Australia and that each school has rows of bubblers outside for student use. She also provided another reason to support Anni's reasoning: "Adequate water consumption is required for optimal brain function!"

Instead of being an afterthought tacked on to my curriculum, my iPads had become the epicenter. They were out all day, every day and were being pushed to their limit so that my students could be pushed to theirs. As a result I saw ten times the growth in standardized test scores this year as compared to last year. I saw students who hated coming to school show up daily with vigor and excitement for learning. I had one young lady tell me, "[iPads] make me want to come to school everyday because I know that Ms. Magiera got a lesson just for me that day. I don't want to miss my lesson. I like it cause she's - like - talking just to me."

In the past decade, there has been a monumental shift in the level of communication that parents expect from teachers and school administrators

A classroom blog can be a great compromise between teachers and millennial parents

Think of a classroom blog as a weekly newsletter for your students and their parents. It satisfies parents’ desire to know what’s going on at school, keeps the lines of communication open with parents, and becomes an archive of the school year.

celebrity - (noun)1. A highly visible person, usually recognized for some form of talent, beauty, or quality.charity - (noun)2. Tolerance or understanding in judging others. 3. The giving of money or other help to needy people. 4. A group or fund organized to help needy people.service - (noun)1. The act or work of helping others; aid.2. Work or employment for someone else.3. Benefit or use - work that helps other people.volunteer - (noun)1. Someone who does a job or gives services freely and usually without pay.2. (verb) to give or offer usually without being asked.hero - (noun)1. Any person admired for great courage, nobility, qualities, or achievements and regarded as an ideal or model.leader - (noun)1. A person that shows the way or directs others.2. To guide or direct by influence to do something.3. To be at the first or head of.role-model - (noun)1. A person who is usually successful or inspiring in some social role, job, position, and so serves as a model for others.philanthropy - (noun)1. Private action for the public or common good. Practice using vocabulary terms in sentences. This activity may be written, or place each vocabulary term on an index card. Assign small groups (3-4); pass out index cards, asking each group to work cooperatively to come up with a sentence for each word on their index cards. Groups share sentences. The class identifies the correct vocabulary term from the sentence.

Anticipatory Set:Ask students to name someone they consider a hero. Brainstorm a list and write on the board or overhead. Include all names given. Examples: fireman, policeman, mom, dad, as well as specific names such as Michael Jordan, Princess Diana, Mother Theresa, etc. (Students will generally name sports and entertainment figures).

using interactive whiteboards was associated with a 16 percentile point gain in student achievement

learner-response device

use of graphics and other visuals to represent information

“Take a room full of five-year-olds and you will see creativity in all its forms positively flowing around the room. A decade later you will see these same children passively sitting at their desks, half asleep or trying to decipher what will be on the next test.”

“We’d always thought fatigue is symptom of depression, but now it’s looking more like lack of sleep causes depression, and that’s something looked at seriously.” Kids needs nine hours of sleep, and if schools were in synch developmentally with teenagers, should would start at 10 a.m., especially when kids enter adolescence. Teachers should also coordinate their exams with each other to ensure that students are not taking multiple tests on the same day.

Smart Objects on the Cheap: DIY Interactive Digital Exhibits

Professor The Evolution of Book Reviewing Practice: New Directions in the 21st Century

ntroduction to Digital Game-Based Learning in Libraries

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